Tackling entertainment and the two most taboo topics in life - Politics and Religion - from a conservative, centrist and libertarian worldview

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory." Leonard Nimoy

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The WHY of the HOW

We see and hear the same thing every election year in television, print and radio advertisement. Don't vote for this or that candidate because he or she voted for this or that law, amendment or package. However, the smart voter knows not to listen to that rhetoric because the devil is in the details. It's not the HOW that is important as to a candidate's vote on certain legislation in the past as is WHY they voted for it.

The House and Senate have this nasty practice of tacking on unrelated items and earmarks to bills that could otherwise be good for the public welfare. These add-on agendas force politicians to have to vote for or against a bill that they might otherwise like or dislike just so they can get the original concept passed or failed. This kind of dirty politics has to change once and for all. Permanent legislation needs to be passed that would eliminate this practice for good.

Everything going to the floor of the House and Senate needs to stand on its own merit and not be tacked on to any other legislation up for a vote. If Senator A wants an earmark that his or her State will benefit from at a cost to the American taxpayer then they must be forced to submit such a bill on its own value and not be able to railroad it into session for a vote by sticking it on the end of some other bill under consideration. Why we have allowed this tricky and disgusting behavior to continue for all these decades is a mystery but there is absolutely no reason to allow it to continue any longer and it has proven to be quite detrimental to how our government functions. If legislation cannot stand on its own then it deserves to fail in an up or down vote. It shouldn't be used to arm twist legislators to vote for or against it by making it part of a package that legislator's might like, forcing them to swallow a giant nasty pill that goes against what they stand for.

This kind of under-the-table wheeling and dealing will continue unless We the People let Washington D.C. know we have finally had enough. Contact your local House and Senate representative by mail, phone, letter & email. Let them know that this practice has run its course and must not continue to be tolerated or they will no longer have to worry about the HOW & WHY of their vote because you will vote them out of that responsibility.